Here is
a disc offering less than fifty minutes of music with which
you are almost certainly unfamiliar. It was written for an small
and unpromising combination by a composer who is likely to be
barely a name, if that, to you. Why should you buy it? The simple
answer is that it contains music of great delight. Not important
or profound music, and not to be played as a whole, but if taken
one Duet at a time I can promise considerable musical pleasure.
Franciszek
Lessel was the son of an obscure but learned musician, Wincenty
Lessel, who encouraged his son not merely to follow him as a
musician, but to ensure that he did better for himself than
his father had done. Franciszek was sent to Vienna where he
studied with Haydn, Cherubini and Salieri, and listened to the
then-new music by Beethoven, Hummel and Clementi. Duets for
two flutes were common at a time when it was an instrument regarded
as suitable for gentlemen to play. Many were published, especially
in London - as were the present examples, and presumably they
gave much pleasure to those for whom they were written. The
majority are indeed immense fun to play but even the most prejudiced
flautist would not seriously suggest that most give anything
like comparable pleasure to listeners. There is nowhere when
writing for such a modest combination for a composer to hide
any lack of imagination or technique.
It is here
that these duets stand out. They abound in sheer inventiveness
and charm, very much in the style of the time but not without
some individuality. It is perhaps arguable that they would sound
even better on instruments of the period, but the two players
here have an agreeable tone, avoiding the excessive vibrato
to which some players of the modern instrument are prone. They
have sufficient variety of tonguing and volume to avoid the
monotony which might otherwise set in very quickly. A note by
Elżbieta Gajawska makes clear how much work was required
to produce a modern edition of the pieces. They previously existed
only in the original 1802 London publication in two separate
parts for the two flutes. These contained many apparent errors.
The work in preparing the modern edition seems to have been
done well. I am sure that I am not alone in hoping that she
will be publishing it soon so that others can enjoy playing
them. Having said that, most of us will only be able to dream
of playing them anywhere near as well as is the case here.
The notes,
in Polish and English, are full and useful, although a magnifying
glass is useful for reading them. But I must not carp. This
is a surprisingly diverting disc which I hope will have the
success it deserves, even given the very limited amount of music
on it - it is the quality of the music and performance that
counts. I see that Acte Préalable have recorded other works
by this composer. On the basis of this disc they too are probably
well worth exploring.
John Sheppard
Elżbieta Gajawska,
Hanna Turonek (flutes)
